The Atlanta Falcons hired a new coaching staff last offseason after the firing of Arthur Smith. It all started by bringing back an old friend in Raheem Morris, to be the next head coach.
And, as so often happens in the coaching business, Morris then brought in one of his friends to be his offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson.
Robinson had the task of maximizing a talented offense that had underperformed the two years prior, and he did a pretty good job of it in year one.
Now, with a full season under his belt, he is primed to lead one of the league's best offenses, which will then lead to him becoming a head coach as soon as next offseason.
The Falcons better savor Zac Robinson's offense before he gets promoted
Offensive coordinator tends to be the fastest track to becoming a head coach. We have seen it so often with guys like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Kevin O'Connell, and Ben Johnson.
Teams value these young, creative minds to secure their offense's future.
And the next in line could easily be Falcons' OC Zac Robinson, who the league has viewed as a talented offensive mind.
Last year, there were rocky moments. But, most of those moments were because of Kirk Cousins' injuries, which Robinson handled as best as he could.
Now, going into year two, he has a high-upside quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. who will expand the playbook.
It feels so similar to the historic 2016 season with Shanahan calling plays. You just feel like this team is about to put up some incredible point totals.
Which is why Raheem better start grooming a heir apparent.
It is rough to think about because the last thing you want is a year-to-year situation at offensive coordinator. It could hinder Michael Penix Jr.'s rise to being one of the league's best.
Staying in-house to replace Robinson would be the best option. It would lessen the learning curve to getting comfortable with a new play-caller.
All of this is one of the consequences of hiring a defensive-minded head coach, much like we saw during the Dan Quinn era.